el charro restaurant & lounge

closes in summer when it gets too sticky then opens after labor day when ever they decide a shame i can hardly wait till they open again. i always need #3 with soft taco and 7up. squirt some hot sauce in the salsa to spice to taste and oh so wonderful.

how disappointing!. ate here with husband and son, and none of us were impressed. between the three of us, we ordered an assortment of the menu, and it was all mostly bland. the relleno was lackluster, and was floppy. the tacos were soggy- which was weird, because the service was incredibly quick, and we got our food after ordering in less than 10 minutes. the salsa for the chips was flavorless and watery. the best thing i had was the enchilada sauce on top of the tamal. i had heard good things about this place for several years, and can remember this place as a staple of downtown mesa cuisine since i was a small child. finally gave it a try around christmas time, and was not blown away. when we arrived, the dining area was packed, and the parking lot was nearly full, but i can't imagine why. this may be good for tourists and snow-birds that haven't had a lot of mexican food before. as for true aficionados, those of whom probably grew up in az, ca, or nm, it is not the real deal. i would recommend a small taqueria or even filiberto's before this place. was really disappointed.

stay away!. this restaurant may have been good 20 years ago but it really sucks now!!! the food and the service! never go!

never go there. i am sitting at this restaurant right now and i am literally in aw of how horrible this customer service is. i am floored!! we walked in.. the lady said and i quote "sit down and wait" we sit down and the "chip guy" got so mad that we asked for more chips he doesnt wear a name tag but he has a raspy voice and wears glasses he slammed the chips down and rolled his eyes and walked away. there's a waitress fuming running around yelling at all the workers and told one of the waitresses "go handle that table! i can stand it" i cannot believe this nonsense. i will never be coming here again. this place is packed too. the people who come here really must enjoy being disrespected. this is a disgusting excuse of customer service.

they never answer their phone!. how does a place stay in business that won't answer their phone and you cannot get through to even make reservations! complained to the front desk, 2 hostesses at desk, and they just smiled with no response! duh! what a way to do business!

stay away!!! service sucks and accountability is nonexistent! i have one question, who is in charge over there? i waited 45 minutes at lunch for a table to be seated and then wait another 5 to 10 minutes with no one even coming by to take a drink order or bring the chips. as i watched 3 to 4 tables be seated after me and have their chips and drinks brought to them and order taken. i finally got up and handed the hostess my menu. no attempt by the three employees at the exit to even rectify the situation. food average. there's about 2-3 things that is eat there. that's it. it completely frustrates me when i spend my entire lunch hour waiting to have a quick mexican food lunch and not even being able to eat. i don't see what the big fuss is over their food. there are plenty of better mexican food places in mesa and the east valley: casa reynoso, tia rosa's, mangos, backyard taco etc. etc. actually, i can't believe i'm even dictating this comment on siri. i really don't have the time but i would hope that the management would give this the attention it deserves and see if they actually give a damn about their customers. i am a business owner right down the street from their location. i take clients out to eat 4-5 times a week. if i never return to el charro sorry that's thousands of dollars of business down the drain for them!


-----04 oct, 2012-----

disgusting!. i've given this place plenty of chances over the years; but i've had enough!
the food is average at best (of course depending on what you order.....how do you screw up a cheese crisp). the food quality is questionable. homemade? definitely not all of it. who the hell serves macaroni salad and coleslaw with mexican food? they even have garlic toast on the menu! with the plethora of mexican restaurants available in the valley of the sun; i just don't get the following this place has. for those who praise this place and think it is the taj mahal of mexican food......think again; and while you're doing that why don't you consider escaping the country club and first street bubble you've been living in.

going there for 40 years. awesome food. great waiters and waistresses. grumpy owners and owner family members. in it for the $. you would think 40 years...they would know your name. the food and service keeps me coming.

fair food. enchilada sauce was weaker in flavor. burrito was mostly tortilla. the tamales and the rice were very good.

i grew up in mesa and el charro was a family tradition. we would go once a week we absolutly loved it. a couple years ago we moved away out of state and recently returned to mesa and ofcoarse visited here. and it was as good as i remember. amazing food and fantastic staff.

the best in the world!. 21 years ago i married a zonie and visted his home town of mesa on our honeymoon trip from ca. the first day there he took me to el charro - i didn't really care if it was good, great or otherwise. but when i took my first bit of their beef soft taco i was in love. everything on the menu is perfection and very crave-able. besides ca we have lived in tx and currently reside in wa...but we travel to az under the guise of visiting family - but it's really for el charro! we usually stay a week and we eat there twice a day - every day. this is the honest truth. my sweetheart orders the "g" right off - i do the 2 taco dinner - then we work our way around the menu. the chili beef enchilada is unlike any other - not what you could possible expect - it's simply sublime. even the simple cheese crisp is the worlds best - again, it's unique and amazing. when friends from mesa come to visit they are required to bring el charro red sauce. you can't carry it on a plane unless it's frozen - but our friends know what is required to gain entrance to our home... there's an original art rendering of el charro from the 1930's when it opened hanging in the restaurant. because our best buddy (also a zonie) shares our love for el charro he asked the owner if he could get a high quality copy for us as a christmas present. the owner let him and it now hangs proudly in our home. we send friends from all over the nation to this wonderful little bit of mexican food heaven and they all join our throng of enthusiastic fans of the best restaurant in the world!!!!

rachelle allen. this is my favorite mexican restaurant in the world. i have been eating there since i was 3 years old. i literally had withdrawals when i was living in texas and when they close during summer. have a green chili cheese crisp or a homemade cheese crisp and guacamole to start! it is magnificent!!!

el charro!. this past saturday, my girlfriend and i decided to have lunch at el charro, the mexican bar and cocktail lounge, located on 105 n. country club drive . the past few weeks i had been bragging to her that this was the best mexican food in mesa, and hoped that she would enjoy eating there as much as i do. i chose to order the three soft taco dinner, which comes with a side of beans and rice. on the other hand, my date decided to go with the two taco, one enchilada dinner.
while we waited for our meal to arrive, we were given chips and salsa to help the time pass more quickly. the chips are not really worth bragging about in their own right, but i still always find myself eating as much as possible. they don't come salted, but you are provided salt at the table, which you can add personally. you are given two different styles of salsa. the first is my personal favorite, and is much chunkier than the alternative. it consists of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and other ingredients to give it its unique taste. the other salsa is more like a paste, and comes in a plastic tube which you can squeeze out onto the chips. it's not really my cup of tea, but they provide it for those who don't like the first choice.
our food arrived a few minutes after our order was taken, and it was delicious to say the least. the tortillas of the soft tacos are soft, and feel and taste homemade. they stuff the tacos full of meat and lettuce. the meat is full of flavor and juice, and i never can eat too much of it. they don't have all the stuff that comes with tacos at other restaurants: guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and the works. however, i don't believe these tacos need anything more! the meat and tortillas go so well together that any extra flavoring would just distract from what the tacos already are. the spanish rice and beans are the perfect complementary foods for the tacos: they give your taste buds a rest from the amazingness of the tacos.
i also had the chance to taste my girlfriend's enchilada, and i have to agree with her in saying it was the best enchilada i have ever tasted. they load these enchiladas with cheese and sauce, and you can't help but shed a tear of joy while eating them. she also agreed that the beans and rice that come with the meals are perfect.
all in all, the food at el charro is amazing. i have asked many of my friends who eat there regularly what their favorite food is, and not one has given me the same answer. if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive place to eat that serves great food, then i highly recommend el charro. they just do mexican food right.

very good food, older decor. this place is on the ne corner of 1st st and country club, in a pinkish building. while it's not the best in town, the food is pretty damn good and the restaurant has attained landmark status. the decor inside is fairly old and a bit beat-up, and a logjam tends to form at the door between people entering and outgoing people paying their bill. so your first impression might not be great, but hang in there.

you get one order of chips and salsa for free. the salsa is on the mild side, but great-tasting, and the red chile sauce is very good. the entrees are where it's at--i've had both the red and green burros which are excellent, and my wife has always been happy with her tostada and enchilada. the rice and beans are also first-rate.

so it's a no-frills place, to be sure, but well worth a visit.

stay away from this dump. they definitely have an attitude if you have a group larger than 6. the menu is slightly better than taco bell. what a joke. this place would close down within 3 months if they opened in chicago. go somewhere else!!!

my family has been coming here since the fifties!! it's the first place we hit after we arrive at the airport. it's just as good as sixty years ago!